All Aboard The Straight Talk Express.

So Here's What You Need To Know ...... about the Straight Talk Express.The royal blue bus that will ferry presumptive GOP prezzy nominee John
McCain across Pennsylvania today is 45 feet long, 13.3 feet high and can comfortably seat about two-dozen people.It has 10 wheels and four cargo compartments on either side of the vehicle. The 2007 Prevost is a top of the line model that runs on regular diesel fuel (shame, shame, Mr.-I-Want- To-Explore-Alternative-Fuel-Sources).So far, McCain's run up around 31,000 miles on the $1.5 million vehicle that boasts some five miles of internal wiring that powers everything from the on-board stereo system (yesterday, there was something tastefully Latin on the speakers) to the bank of video cameras in a rear compartment that turns every chat with reporters into, for all we know, a ready-made campaign commercial.The bus boasts Montana plates, but hails from Coach Quarters of Columbus, Ohio. Inside, there's some cozy, leather captain's chairs up front, along with a refrigerator, freezer and shower unit. Snacks abounded. And in the fridge, we found the McCain campaign runs on a selection of soft drinks that includes Fresca and Diet Coke.
We managed to snap a few cell phone photos of the interior of the bus -- but this was before we learned that the campaign frowns on this sort of thing. So in the interest of averting any late-night visits from the Secret Service, we're not going to publish them.Our thanks, however, to the Straight Talk's driver, Jonathan "Frye" Frierson, and his son, James, who were good enough to give us a quickie tour as we waited for McCain and his party to land at Harrisburg International Airport yesterday afternoon.Handy trivia note, the elder Frierson was McCain's driver during his 2000 presidential bid. And his job, as he tells us, is to "chase the [campaign] plane." And that's what he did yesterday, schlepping in from Cincinnati while McCain and former Gov. Tom Ridge pressed the flesh in Erie.

The rest of today's news starts, as it always does, after the jump.

While He Was In Harrisburg ...... last night, McCain made what we in the political trade refer to as an "OTR"
stop at the Bass Pro Shop at the Harrisburg Mall at the city's eastern edge.For the uninitiated, OTR stands for "Off The Record," though it's really campaign shorthand for a meticulously scripted and planned event that's made to look totally spontaneous for the benefit of the television cameras.The stop was pool-media only, which means only a select few national and local reporters were allowed to to join the candidate. Here's what happened, courtesy of reporter Chris Courogen of the Harrisburg Patriot-News:"Accompanied by former Gov. Tom Ridge and U.S. Rep.Todd Platts,
R-19th, McCain spent about a half hour shaking hands and posing for pictures with customers and store employees. Before leaving McCain bought a fishing scale and a green, camouflaged jacket.'Now all I need to do is catch a fish,' McCain joked while leaving the store.McCain's visit was not announced ahead of time, but several supporters in the store said word of the visit had been leaked to them by local Republican officials.“My husband is a Republican committee person, so we were forewarned, but we were told to keep it quiet,” said Gwenda LeHew, of Londonderry Twp.McCain's visit to the giant outdoors outfitters was limited to the boating and fishing sections on the first floor of the store.Prior to visiting Bass Pro, McCain traveled to the West Shore of the Susquehanna River for a pair of one-on-one sit downs with local television stations.Those interviews were done at the Lemoyne home of McCain supporter Frank Bingman.A campaign staffer said the Bingman home was chosen because of its panoramic views of the river and Harrisburg, which served as a backdrop for the interviews. The campaign had originally considered doing the interviews in a local park with a similar view, but opted for the indoor location to avoid background noises.Neighbors described Bingman, a local businessman, as an “avid conservative Republican.”People in Lemoyne's Woods at Bridgeport development were not aware the candidate would be visiting their neighborhood until shortly before McCain's arrival.The condominium association in the development prohibits political yard signs, though one resident has hurriedly placed a McCain placard in the middle of the turnaround at the end of the only street in and out of the neighborhood.The dozen or so residents who stood along the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man they said they did not need signs to know who most folks in the heavily Republican development support.“It's a McCain neighborhood, mostly made up of professional people,” said Scott Boyd, a sales and marketing executive who lives there campaign bus pulled in across the street."

As We Noted Yesterday ...... we were one of four Pennsylvania political reporters to snag a seat on the Straight Talk Express. Click on through to read a partial transcript of that interview.

The Campaign Fun ...... continues at 2 p.m. this afternoon when Senate Minority Leader Bob
Mellow, D-Lackawanna, participates in a conference call on Tom Ridge's record as governor. One presumes they're doing this to throw cold water on the Veep slot that Ridge so enthusiastically claims he doesn't want. We offer a cup of coffee to the first scribe to ask Mellow about his conflict of interest serving on the board of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pa.

Regola Out.State Sen. Bob Regola, R-Westmoreland, officially dropped his re-election
bid for the 39th state Senate District yesterday.Regola filed his withdrawal paperwork with the Dept. of State around 1:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, an agency spokeswoman tells Capitolwire this morning.In a statement, Regola called his decision to withdraw "one of the most difficult decisions I have ever faced because of my desire to see the cause of conservative reform to advance in Harrisburg and because of my fondness for serving the people of the 39th District."Regola, who was acquitted last month on gun and perjury charges stemming from the 2006 shooting death of a 14-year-old neighbor, said that "despite my belief that I would win re-election, I am unwilling to put my family, friends and supporters through the type of negative campaign that my opponent would likely conduct."And even though he'd been acquitted, Regola said he believed "my political opponents and some of the news media would likely spend the next several months vilifying me further."And did we mention he's blaming the media?"I am disappointed in the conduct of the media during this
process. They have focused on sensationalism more than the facts of
this case. Despite my acquittal, it is easy to see that voters can have
doubts about my character given what the media unfairly wrote about me.
Their tabloid-like reporting has tarnished my reputation in this
community, and made it more difficult to seek re-election."
A GOP replacement has yet to be named, but he or she will be facing Democrat Tony Bompiani at the polls this fall.The State Judicial Conduct Board ...... has dismissed one ethics complaint against state Supreme Court Chief
Justice Ronald D. Castille, but there's still another one in the hopper, the Patriot-News reports this morning.Usually, ethics complaints and their outcomes are kept secret, but a mix-up over which complaint was dismissed spurred Castille to make the decision public, the P-N reported.Apparently, the state courts system thought a complaint filed by the group Casino-Free
Philadelphia had been dismissed. Castille opted to make an
announcement because the anti-gambling group had issued a
news release when it filed the complaint, officials told the P-N.Actually, Casino-Free's complaint is still pending. So it's unknown who filed the dismissed complaint against Castille or what it regarded.Casino-Free Philadelphia's complaint stems from
comments Castille made about a lawsuit involving the League
of Women Voters of Pennsylvania against former Chief Justice
Ralph J. Cappy. A Former Computer Aide ...... to state Democratic Sen. Vince Fumotold a federal judge yesterday that
he followed the South Philly lawmaker's orders to erase e-mails sought by federal agents who were investigating him, the Inky reports this morning.Leonard P. Luchko pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct
justice and 28 counts of obstruction of justice in a computer-cleansing
campaign he said he carried out from November 2003 through October 2005.A plea agreement between Luchko and the government requires him to testify as needed for the government at the
Sept. 8 corruption trial of Fumo and two co-defendants, the newspaper reported.In exchange, federal prosecutors agreed not to seek more than a two-year prison term for Luchko at sentencing.Professional Gadfly Gene Stilp ...... stopped by the Capitol press room yesterday, dropping off lyrics to a new song parody he's penned called "Pop Goes DeWeeze-l." Yes, he probably does have entirely too much free time.Nonetheless, we reproduce the lyrics of the first two stanzas below ... "Round and round the CapitolThe people chased DeWeeze-lBut on Nov. 4,Pop Goes DeWeeze-l.Pay raises, bonusesMillions stolen from the people,Wait til Nov. 4,Pop goes DeWeeze-lVeon and DeWeeseSwindling the people"I knew nothing," is what he says.Out goes DeWeeze-l."You get the idea ...

From The Campaign Trail.As you might expect, the state's political headlines are mostly dominated by the McCain visit. But there's a few under-card stories in the offing as well.In the 10th CD, for instance, they're still having a debate over debates. In Beaver County, they're still trying to figure out the best candidate to replace state Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-15th. And, from yesterday, here's another take on doings in the 11th CD.EdWatch (TM):Gov. Ed's in Philadelphia this afternoon. At 1 p.m., he's slated to address the 50th annual conference of the northeastern chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives.If he could put in a word about the baggage charges and the ridiculous lack of food on domestic coach flights, we'd be much obliged.

On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning.We find ourselves in a Dean Martin frame of mind this morning ... so, here's "That's Amore." This is, by the way, one of Little Miss Capitol Ideas' favorite lullabies. And ... she knows all the words.

Tuesday's Gratuitous Soccer Link.There's some upheaval this morning at MLS club L.A. Galaxy, where head coach Ruud Gullit has stepped aside for personal reasons and president and GM Alexei Lalas has been given his pink slip. Best known as the home of England star David Beckham, the Galaxy are in 4th place in the MLSWest and are smack in the middle of a seven-game winless streak, The Guardian reports. Gullit's first-year assistant coach (and former Galaxy star) Cobi Jones has been tapped as a replacement.